Best Pistol for First Timer

Bryantim88

My adult son is starting to shoot pistols. He can only afford to buy one pistol for now. He?s needs a pistol primarily to shoot at the range and to a lesser degree for protection. What do you recommend? Thank you.

kidthatsirish

I would recommend that you take him to a range that has rental guns. Let him try out several to find one that fits his hands properly. Often 9mm would be recommend as it is adequate for self defense yet still pretty easy on the wallet.

There are a lot of great pistols out there. So many one could not name them all. Lots of great options out there for less than 400 dollars as well (Canik TP9, FNH makes some) along with plenty of other options out there. The options only get wider if he is willing to consider the used gun market as well (and unlike cars, usually there are few or no surprises when it comes to a used gun).

charliemeyer007

I suggest he shop the local used market with someone that knows what to look for in a quality used firearm. 38 Special/9mm is as small as I would go if self defense is a real concern. A 22 LR is a good trainer and cheaper to shoot if you don't reload. It will harvest small game like birds and bunnies if you can hit them.

I like/own/carry/shoot both revolvers and semiautomatics. However, I don't have any modern "plastic" guns, nor do I ever expect to either.

62fuelie

One thing to consider about the "first" pistol is its ability to function with the mild loads that take away the intimidation of muzzle-blast and recoil. One I have found works very well with beginning shooters is the Ruger Security-Six line. I have loaded cat bullet loads down to the point where they feel more like a .22 lr in that substantial frame. Once the basics are mastered the model is capable of handling any reasonable loading.

beantownshootah

Best pistol for someone whose never shot a gun is a .22 revolver, IMO.

Its cheap to feed, easy to learn how to use, and sights AND trigger are typically better than most autos, promoting better marksmanship.

Again .22 is THE tried and true platform for learning fundamentals of shooting and safety. The ammo is inexpensive. Noise and recoil are non-intimidating, and its a gun you will ALWAYS want to keep when you eventually move on to a second bigger gun.

If you can't find a good revolver, .22 auto would be second best choice. In either case you'll want something with at least a 4" bbl.

If you have to have one and only one gun for "do it all", IMO best choice is a 357 revolver. You can load this low velocity .38 target loads for practice, then .38+P, or even .357 magnum for defense, and for defense 357 ballistics are functionally as good as anything (and better than most). Gun is also reasonable for hunting.

rsnyder55

I would recommend starting with a revolver with a barrel length of around 4". Anything shorter would probably cause frustration with accuracy, anything too much longer might be unwieldy.

I feel revolvers are safer for learning then a semi auto. There are single action and double action revolvers. I have a single action but usually the prefer double action because loading is a pain, especially with the small cartridges.

For economy, 22LR is a good way to go and it's nice to have one around, even if you go to a larger caliber later. In the 22's, semis might also a good choice. Ruger and Browning make excellent 22 semi autos.

My favorite revolvers that are non 22 are the S&W 686 and the GP100 both with 4" barrels. You can learn with 38 specials but still have the ability to handle 357 magnum. It can serve duty as a home defense gun though my be a little large for concealed carry.

Henry0Reilly

As noted by some others above a revolver has several advantages.

The slower rate of fire tends to help focus on accuracy more so than an auto.

With a .38 or .357 you have a wide choice of factory ammo from the 100 grain .38 wadcutter up to Hornady XTP (or other high performance bullet) loaded hot.

Ruger single action or S&W K frame would be good choices. There is a plethora of different size/style grips for the K frame.

Krony

quote:Originally posted by kidthatsirish
I would recommend that you take him to a range that has rental guns. Let him try out several to find one that fits his hands properly. Often 9mm would be recommend as it is adequate for self defense yet still pretty easy on the wallet.

There are a lot of great pistols out there. So many one could not name them all. Lots of great options out there for less than 400 dollars as well (Canik TP9, FNH makes some) along with plenty of other options out there. The options only get wider if he is willing to consider the used gun market as well (and unlike cars, usually there are few or no surprises when it comes to a used gun).

Agree with this 100%, "fit" is key. I also agree with used if you know what to look for. If it is truly one gun 9mm is the best balance of cost, recoil and the ability to shoot some competition at some point. 22lr won't fit a defensive role.

Revolvers are OK, but if he wants to shoot any competition he's likely to be frustrated shooting with 8 and 9 round 9mm guys.

It would be great to start with a 15-17 round Glock, Sig, S&W or Walther but on a budget a Ruger SR9 isn't a bad choice. Great ergonomics and I put over 12-14000 rounds though mine with no issues before I sold it.

llama

For pure shooting, get Browning Buckmark, GSG/SIG/Colt 1911-22, Ruger Mk*, or any other full size 22lr.

For defense, there are some attractively priced CZ clones available...

dfletcher

I would generally go with a double action revolver in 22 lr to learn the basics, such as a Smith 17 of any vintage. But I suppose semi-auto pistols are what folks like these days. Still, a 22 lr is a good start and you might try an EAA Witness in 9mm with a 22 lr conversion kit. EAA semi pistols are pretty reasonably priced, the rimfire conversion kit costs about $140.00 with a magazine included. Much like having one and a half guns.

beantownshootah

quote:I would generally go with a double action revolver in 22 lr to learn the basics, such as a Smith 17 of any vintage. But I suppose semi-auto pistols are what folks like these days. Still, a 22 lr is a good start and you might try an EAA Witness in 9mm with a 22 lr conversion kit. EAA semi pistols are pretty reasonably priced, the rimfire conversion kit costs about $140.00 with a magazine included. Much like having one and a half guns.

Although I agree with this, I should probably add that the Smith K/L frame Smith .22s are pretty expensive. They basically cost the same as the full caliber revolvers which might make them cost-prohibitive here.

On EAA Witness .22 conversion. I have one, and its "pretty good". Which is to say the sights are good, accuracy is good, function is good, though I've found it unreliable out of the box. Took a bunch of break-in and lube to get the thing to work in a reliable way, and a couple hundred rounds later I still find I have to give it a quick clean/lube every box or two to keep it going. IMO, not the best initial choice for someone totally new to shooting, though a good "add on" if you've already got an EAA/Tanfoglio witness pistol.

Also, maybe more important, cost of these has gone up a bunch. I paid around what you said for mine, but that was a few years back. Right now EAA is asking $225 for these. That not "crazy". . .most .22 conversions cost that much nowadays, but IMO for that cost you can buy a decent whole .22 pistol, and that's probably better.

I can recommend the Smith 22A (now replaced by the "Victory", an upgraded model) as an underrated, relatively inexpensive .22 auto. Mine have been reliable with a variety of ammo, accurate, and with pretty good (though not match grade) triggers. Top of the gun is also a rail, so dropping in a dot sight is super-easy. Replacement barrels are also available (or used to be) and they drop in easily with a pushbutton. So you can go from a 4" bbl to a 7" *with dot mounted sight* in just a few seconds.